Vestibule-car



(No Model.) 3 2 SheetsSheet 1f G. E. POSTER.

VESTIBULE 6A3. No. 596,866. Patented Jan.'4, 1898.

2 sheets sheet 24 O. E. FOSTER.

VESTIBULE GAR..

(No Model.)

No. 596,866. Patented Jan.4,1898.

witweaoeo UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn,

CHARLES E. FOSTER, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE TROJAN OAR COUPLER COMPANY, OF TROY, NEXV YORK.

VESTIBU LE-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,866, dated January 4, 1898.

Application filed May 5, 1897. Serial No; 685,183, (No model.)

To (by, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. FOSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vestibule-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of cars known as vestibule-cars, and has for its object to maintain the face-plates of the-said cars in contact with each other; and to this end it consists in the combination, with the cars and face-plates and bu ifer-beams to which the face-plates are connected, of a rod or rods, and cables connecting the rods and the butfer-beams in such manner that any inward movement imparted to the upper part of the face-plate will be transmitted through a positive cable connection to thelower part thereof or any outward movement of the lower end of the face-plate will be transmitted to the upper end thereof, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of the end of a passenger-car provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing one of the face-plates and its attachments disconnected from the car. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a modification. Fig. 4: is a sectional view showing another modification.

The body and frame of the car are of usual constructiomwith a platform A and overhanging hood J, with the frames for the side doors and the frame I for the central passage, as usual.

Beyond the end beam D of the platform is the buffer-beam E, of metal, supported to move in and out under the action of springs, as usual. Thus, as'shown, there is a central bar n passing through the cross-beams of the platform and having a collar m bearing against a spring 10, which in turn bears against one of the other cross-beams, so that the buffer-beam E can move inward only against the stress of the spring go. With the buffenbeam E is connected the usual faceplate 13, and between the latter and the frame I is arranged the usual bellows siding.

Below the hood J slides one or more rods 19, one being shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and two being shown in Fig. 4. hen a single rod is or rods I).

used, it passes through the center of the frame I above the opening therein, and when two are used, as shown in Fig. 4, theypass through the frame at opposite sides of the same, and the outer end of the rod or rods in any case will bear against or be connected to the inner face of the face-plate B. As shown, the end of each rod 1) has a pin e,which passes through an opening or eye in an ear n at the inner side of the'face-plate B, so that the latter can move up and down to a limited extent without straining the rod Z2.

With the rear end of each rod 1) is connected the rear end of a flexible non-extensible cable (1, which passes over a guide-pulley s and down and under a guide-pulley c, the lower end being connected with the face-plate or buffer-beam E either directly or indirectly. As a result of this construction the lower part of the face-plate B or buffer E is flexibly but positively connected with the rear end of the rod or rods 1). Therefore if the beam E is drawn outward the draft upon the cable 01 will draw outward the rod or rods 1), while if the plate B or the buffer-beam E is pushed inward the cable (Z, while it will be relaxed at the lower part, will be taken up at the upper part by the inward movement of the rod It will be seen that this action takes place regardless of the presence of the spring p, and if the buffer-beams E were connected together in any manner the result would be the same whether the spring 19 was present or not. The spring, however, is of course a desirable incident to the use of the part E as a buffer-beam and acts in the usual manner whether the face-plate B is present or not, so far as the buffer-beam E is con cerned.

The cable (1 may extend from the beam E to the end of the rod 1), or it may be preferably connected with an eyebolt c, threaded and passing through a collar Ct on the rod h,with nuts f, by means of which the cable may be tightened when it is put in place and in case of any slack from use. If the cable 61 did not stretch under use, the original adjust ment of the parts would be sufficient, but as it is not only liable to stretch but to elongate from atmospheric changes it is preferable to provide some means whereby slack can be taken up or the tauting of the cable can be prevented from straining it to an excessive extent. I therefore prefer to provide some means for yielding to the tightening action and for taking up slack. Thus the pulley i may be carried by a lever g, against which bears a spring 6 below the platform, whereby the depressing of the lever is the means of maintaining the cable taut. Instead of this a spring maybe put in the line of the cable say, for instance, in the horizontal portion below the platformor instead of this there may be two pulleys 7 1', arranged as shown in Fig. 4, and another pulley 1?, under the action of a spring t, may, by bending up the cable between the pulleys it, take up any slack and yield if the cable should become taut. It will be seen that however the spring may be arranged it simply acts as a means of taking up slack or preventing the cable from becoming too taut, but that practically the connection between the buffer-bar Eand the rear end of the rod or rods 7) is an unyielding positive connection for transmitting the movement of the lower part of the face-plate. to the upper or from the upper to the lower, as any outward movement of the bar E will draw on the cable and carry out the rod 12, and any inward movement of the latter drawing on the cable will draw in the bar.

While I have shown the rod Z) as connected with the inner side of the face-plate, this is not absolutely necessary, as the ends of the rods might simply bear against the inner face of the plate, and it will be evident that the said rod or rods 5 may be supported and guided in any suitable manner.

WVhen there is but a single rod Z), the collars a are practically the end of a cross-bar lVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the platform and frame of a car, of a movable face-plate, a buffer-beam connected with the lower end of the plate, a spring acting upon the bufferbeam, a rod connected with the upper end of the face-plate, a flexible, non-extensible connection extending from the inner end of the rod to the lower end of the face-plate, and guide-pulleys for the said connection, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the platform and frame of a car, of a movable face-plate, a buffer-beam connected with the lower end of the plate, a spring acting upon the bufferbeam, a horizontal rod connected with the upper end of the face plate, a flexible, nonextensible cable extending from the inner end of the rod to the lower end of the faceplate, said cable having its ends lying substantially parallel to the rod and platform respectively, and guide-pulleys for the cable.

3. The combination with the platform and frame of a car, of a movable face plate, a buffer-beam connected with the lower end of the plate, a spring arranged to act upon the buffer-beam, a rod connected with the upper end of the face-plate, a cable extending from the inner end of the rod to the lower end of the face-plate, and guide-pulleys for the cable, one of said pulleys being spring-actuated to maintain the cable taut, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. FOSTER.

FREEMAN. 

